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Panasonic Lumix GF5 accidentally leaked by Hong Kong spokesperson?
Frequent social networkers will tell you that Instagram's usually plastered with food photos and self-portraits, so we were quite surprised to see a product leak over there. After some careful inspection, we're pretty certain that the above picture shows a legit Panasonic Lumix GF5, which from this angle bears much resemblance to the GF3 bar the grip. To add credibility here, the uploader is none other than Hong Kong celebrity Angelababy who happens to be the brand ambassador for Panny (oopsie!). Unsurprisingly, the twee model has already removed the offending picture from her account, but the direct image link still works.You may be wondering: shouldn't this Micro Four Thirds camera be the GF4 after the current GF3? Well, much like Chinese superstition, Japan also prefers to steer clear of the number 4 as it sounds the same as "death" in Japanese. For instance: there was no Lumix LX4 before the LX5. As for specs, Chinese website Nphoto reported earlier this month that the GF5 will also feature a 12-megapixel sensor but with a better signal-to-noise ratio and topping at ISO 12800, while on the back it'll have a much sharper LCD with 920k dots (instead of just 460k on the GF3). Judging by the looks of things it shouldn't be long before we see Angelababy presenting this new camera for real -- let's just hope that she gets to keep her job.
Olympus still loving E-series DSLRs, but teases new Micro Four Thirds lenses to confuse you
The Micro Four Thirds form factor may be a compelling choice for those seeking portability with affordable prices and notable quality, but there's no doubt that many folks are still loyal to the conventional DSLRs. If you're one such Olympus fan who's concerned about the fate of the larger E-series lineup, fret not: Akira Watanabe, head of product development, reassured PCPOP that the E-series models are here to stay because of their unique features, though his team's still pondering over the idea of replacing the budget triple-digit line (like the E-620) with the PEN series, as suggested by his colleague previously. But shifting the focus back to PEN, Watanabe teased that his crew's developing some MFT lenses to boost the portfolio, though little is revealed other than that these will cater users who have specific photographic needs. Very intriguing indeed -- maybe some fisheye and tilt-shift love?
Panasonic Lumix GH2 review roundup: impressive video recording, murky still images
In case you're still wondering if Panasonic's mirrorless Lumix GH2 is worth your $900, we've rounded up a handful of reviews to provide a pointer for your next big purchase. While most reviewers agree that this Micro Four Thirds camera appears to be very similar to its predecessor, they universally praise the subtly improved ergonomics, speedy liveview autofocusing, and refined image quality, especially with its 1080p AVCHD video recording (although Digital Camera Resource Page did notice some artifacting in its clips). Noise is also a non-issue up to about ISO 800 or 1600, though it's apparent that the 16 megapixel stills are comparatively dull and, like those from many other MFTs, aren't quite on par with DSLRs -- expect plenty of manual processing work here, as demoed by the good folks over at Digital Photography Review. All in all, the GH2 is a great kit for high quality video capturing, bundled with a pretty good still performance that requires some extra TLC afterwards -- kinda ironic in a way, but hey, this isn't a problem for lovers of video bokeh. Head over to the links below for some in-depth analysis and walk-through before you leave a small dent on your bank account. Read - Digital Photography Review Read - Photography Blog Read - Camera Labs Read - Digital Camera Resource Page Read - Let's Go Digital
